Trap.



R. S. HURLBUT.

TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIS 1916.

Patented Mar. 2Q, 1917.

.HTTaR/vcy.

UNTED STATES PATENT OFFGE.

ROLLIN SMITH HURLBUT, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 ONEIDA COMMUNITY, LIMITED, 0F ONEIDA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF'NEW YORK.

TRASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mai', 20, 1917.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RoLLiN SMITH Himn- BUT, a citizen of the United States of AmenA ica, and resident of Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Traps, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to traps, and particularly to animal traps involving the use of spring actuated jaws.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a new and improved trap of great efficiency, simple construction, and which may be easily set and is delicately susceptible to a releasing pressure tending to spring the same.

The specific structure disclosed for accomplishing the primary object of this invention involves the production of various new and improved constructions and arrangements of parts, more particularly and in detail set forth in the claims hereto ap'` pended.- s

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description, taken in connection with Vthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan view of the trap.

Fig. 2 is a ci'oss section `on line 2 2, Fig. 1. v a

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3,7Fig. 1, showing the trap set.

Fig. 4 is a cross section similar to Fig. 3 showing the trap sprung.

The new and improved trap of this 'invention comprises a base 1 preferably formed of an elongated strip of sheet metal and may, as shown, be somewhat bowed to constitute a spring base adapted to assist in closing the jaws.

The base 1 is provided intermediate its ends lwith uan yaperture Q indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1, and the jaws 3 and 4 pivotally connected at theirvcrossing portions by a`rivet or bolt 5 are provided with rearwardly projecting downwardly diverging portions 6 and 7 respectively, slidably positioned in the aperture Q and provided with hook shaped end parts 8 and 9- adapted to engage the base 1 to limit the upward movement .of the jaws and normally prevent their separation from the base.

The jaws 3 and 4. may be of any desired shape and form, and in the specific illustration are provided with U shaped portions 10 and ll adjacent their pivotal point so that the jaw portions actually cross each other at some distance from their pivotal points on the bolt 5 and may be slightly curved toward their end portions 12 and 13 which are adapted to contact with each other to limit the closing movement of the jaws.

For the purpose of normally holding the jaws in closed position, and for exerting upon them in any other position a resilient pressure tending to close them, a spring or elongated bar 1lof sheet metal has one end provided with a flange 15 mounted upon or secured to the rivet 5 constituting the pivot of the jaws 3 and lt and its intermediate portion secured flat face down upon the base 1 in any suitable manner, as by rivets 16 and its other end portion l7 projecting beyond the base constitutes an attaching means for a chain l8 or other trap securing device.

The elongated bar 14- may, as shown, be bowed somewhat toward the base to resilently resist the downward movement of the jawsI essential to the spreading of the jaws. It is apparent 'that other suitable connections may be made between the spring M and the jaws for accomplishing the same purpose.

The base 1 projects some distance beyond the aperture Q and is provided with an elongated slot l9 indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1 forming a pair of integral pintles v 20 vand 2l A detent 22 is pivotally vmounted upon the pintle 20 and is provided with oppositely eX tending lugs 2" and 2l rlhe bait pan 25 is provided `with an elongated slot 26 in which the pintle 21 is slidable, thereby allowing the bait pan to move longitudinally of the base 1 a distance substantially equal to the length of the slot 26 for a purpose hereinafterdescribed, and preferably the slot 26 is formed by attaching the free ends of a U-shaped member 27 to a platform 28 and, as shown, these ends may extend through openings in the platform -28- and may be riveted into Contact with the upper face of said platform or may be otherwise secured, as desired, the U-shaped member' being provided with flanges 2Q- and S0- limiting the extent to which said free end portions may pass through the openings in the platform -28--- The bait pan is provided at its shank with a recess -B'lforming a linger B2- for a purpose hereinafter described. The setting of the trap may be accomplished in various ways, asl for instance the jaws ii-.- and -4- may be spread apart, thereby causing a similar spreading of the projecting rear portions f3- and -7- causing a relative sliding movement of the base and said rea-r portions -6- and 7-, tending to move the pivotal point of the jaws -3- and -4L- toward the base 2lagainst the action of the spring -lltending to hold the jaws at their limit of upward movement relatively to the base,

jWhen the jaws are spread, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, the pivotal point of the jaws, in this instance determined by the bolt -5-, has moved to a position in line with or adjacent the plane of the base 1 and the end of the bolt -5- is in position to be engaged by the lug -23 of detent -22-, and the opposite lug 24fis then adapted to engage the finger 82d upon the bait pan when said pan is slid forwardly toward the jaws -3- and -ffto the point where its further movement is prevented by contact of the pintle -21- with the rear wall of the slot #26. In this position of the bait pan, the platform -28- extends between the aws F3 and -4- and the pressure exerted downwardly by lug -24- upon finger -32- is greater' than the pressure tending to slide the pan rearwardly along the pintle -21-.

A slight pressure, however, upon the platform 28d is sufficient to slide or tilt the bait pan about the pintle #21- sutlicient to release the lug -24- from engagement with the finger -32-, whereupon the engagement of bolt 5- and lug F24.- is released permitting the spring -lG-, and in this specific construction with the assistance of base -1-, to move the jaws -8- and 4- and portions ,--6i and -7- upwardly, whereby the downwardly diverging form of said portions G- and -7- moving in the aperture -2- cause the jaws to close, and preferably the head of bolt p5- is radially flattened for engagement with the lug 2S- It will be apparent, however, that any other suitable means may be provided for engagement with the lug -23-- whereby the upward movement of the jaws may be prevented when the lug -24- is engaged with finger -32-.

It will 'be obvious that the construction shown involves the use of a pair of, in this instance oppositely bowed, springs diverging toward their points of connection to the jaws; that the bait pan and detent are mounted upon an extension of the base or lower spring, and that both the jaws and the bait p an are slidable with respect to said base or lower spring; that in 'set i position of the trap the bait pan has a portion positioned in the path of the closing jaws and that said bait pan is automatically thrown from said path upon release of the jaws, permitting unobstructed. operation of the jaws.

Although I have shown and described one particular construction, form, arrangement, and method of operation of the parts, I do not desire to limit myself to the same, as many changes may be made in each or all of the same without departing from the spirit of this invention as serJ forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a trap a base, a pair of crossed jaws pivotally connected and having portions rearwardly of the pivot engaged with the base and a spring secured to the base and to thel jaws.

2. In a trap a pair of jaws operating in a plane substantially perpendicular to the base, said jaws having registering openings, a spring secured to the base and having a flanged end provided with an opening registering with the openings through the aws and a pivot pin extending through said registering openings through the spring and the jaws.

3. In a trap a pair of jaws operating in a plane substantially perpendicular to the base, said jaws having registering openings, a spring secured to the base and having a flanged end provided with an opening registering with the openings through the jaws, a pivot pin extending through said registering openings through the spring and the jaws, and portions of the jaws projecting rearwardly from the pivot and slidably engaged with the base.

4f. In a trap a pair of oppositely bowed springs rigidly secured together at one end, one of said springs provided with an opening, a pair of jaws pivotally mounted upon the free end of the other spring and having a portion projecting rearwardly from the pivot and slidably positioned in the 'opening in the other spring.

5. In a trap, a base having an aperture, a pair of pivotally connected jawshaving portions projecting rearwardly from the pivot and slidable in said aperture, means for limiting the movement of said portions relatively to the base, and means tending'to hold said portions at a limit of movement relative to thebase.

6. In a trap, a base having an aperture, a pair of pivotally connected jaws having porlOO and slidable in said aperture, means for of l sald portions rela-' limiting the movement tively to the base, and means for holding the jaws in set position.

8. In a trap, a pair of oppositely bowed springs, a pair of jaws pivotally mounted upon the end of one of said springs and having portions extending rearwardly from the pivot slidably engaged with the other spring, and means for holding the jaws in set position against the action of said springs.

9.,In a trap, a'base, one end of the base, pivotally connecting a spring secured to a pair of jaws, a bolt one end of the spring and said jaws, a bait pan mounted on said base, a detent mounted on said base for engagement with the bait pan and with said bolt.

10. In a trap, a base, a spring secured to one end of the base, a pair of jaws, a bolt pivotally connecting one end of the spring and said jaws, said bolt having a radially flattened head, a bait pan moimted on said base, a detent mounted on said base for engagement with the bait pan and with the flattened head of said bolt.

11. In a trap, a base, having an opening therethrough, a pair of pivoted jaws slidable as an entirety relatively to the base and having portions extending rearwardly from the pivot positioned in Said opening and engaging the base to limit the relative movement of the base and jaws, a spring secured to the base and acting on the jaws, said jaws adapted to be used as levers toset the trap.

12. In a trap, a base, having an opening therethrough, a pair of jawsextending at Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the substantially right angles to the base and having portions slidable in said opening and provided with flanges adapted to engage the base and a spring secured to the base and to the jaws for normally holding said flanges in engagement with the base.

13. In a trap, a base, having an opening therethrough intermediate its length, a pair of pivotally connected jaws having portions extending rearwardly from the pivot and movable through said opening, a spring secured to the jaws and to the base at one side of the jaws and a detent and a trigger mounted upon base at the opposite side of the jaws.

14. In a trap, a base, intermediate its length, connected jaws having portions slidable in said opening, a spring secured to the pivot of the jaws and the base at one side of the jaws, a trigger slidably mounted upon the having an opening a pair of pivotally base at the opposite side of the jaws and a detent hold the jaws in set position.

15. In a trap, a base, a pair of jaws having portions engaged with the intermediate part of the base, a spring connected to the jaws and to the base at one side of the jaws, a trigger mounted upon the base at the opposite side of the jaws and gagement with the trigger.

16. In a trap, a base, a air of jaws extending at an angle to the 1base and having a common pivotal axis, said jaws having portions engaged withthe intermediate part of the base, a spring connected to the pivot of the jaws and to the base at one side of the jaws, a trigger mounted upon the base at the opposite side of the jaws and a detent pivotally mounted adjacent the trigger and adapted to engage the trigger and the pivot of the jaws.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2nd day of May, 1916.

ROLLIN SMITH HURLBUT.

Witnesses:

EUGENE F. KITENDAUGH, E. M. SANTRY.

Washington, D. C.

in engagementV with the trigger to a detent for env 

